South Park: The Fractured But Whole ESRB Description Is Appropriately Gross

"Characters are sometimes depicted nude..."

By Seth G. Macy

South Park: The Fractured but Whole has an 'M' rating by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board, which probably isn't too surprising. What is somewhat unexpected, however, is the absurd level of detail the game takes in its ESRB rating description.

"This is a role-playing game, based on the animated South Park TV show, in which players assume the role of a new kid in town embarking on an adventure to uncover an evil criminal element..."

After the opening, it details some of the combat, touches on weapons and spell systems, and warns of some dismemberment and decapitations. It's extremely dry, extremely expected copy. Then things start to go off the rails.

There's a description of a scene in which there's a depiction of "a character performing a lap dance while emitting flatulence," something we saw first hand at E3. There's also descriptions of drug use, voyeurism, and warnings of which swear words are used in the game's dialogue. It's all written in the dry, bureaucratic language you'd expect from a ratings board.